Louisville Fans Riot In Streets After NCAA Championship Win [PHOTOS]

By the time the victory confetti stopped streaming down onto the newly crowned national champion Louisville Cardinals Monday night at the Georgia Dome, the party had already made its way out to the streets of the Kentucky town.

The now-familiar ritual of bringing the celebration out into the open following a tense NCAA Championship win played itself out yet again, and riot police were ready for it to go down, having lined up on the busy downtown Louisville district, riot gear, bats and tear gas canisters in hand.

It's become a rite of passage for students at big basketball schools to riot after big wins, and the Louisville kids were not going to miss out on their big night, having just watched as Coach Rick Pitino led the school to its third NCAA title, beating the Michigan Wolverines 82-76.

Students crowded onto the city blocks, centering their jubilation around the busy Cardinal Boulevard, many with beers in hand, and cheered for their team into the wee hours.

They reportedly caused quite the ruckus in the process, shooting off fireworks, dancing and screaming their heads off, leading riot police to flood the city center at the high point of the festivities.

As the fun began to wind down, one police officer was attacked, leading officials to send other riot police in to help, causing students to flee the area, but not before throwing bottles and causing a number of scuffles, at which point the police shot off tear gas in order to disperse the crowd, the Associated Press reported.

Law enforcement authorities in Louisville knew the drill by Monday night, as the school's students put on a similar display after the Cardinals beat Wichita State Saturday night in the Final Four. University spokesman John Drees told the AP that about 5,000 fans congregated on Cardinal Boulevard.